The Media is Ignoring the Allegations of Campaign Finance Violations Against Ocasio-Cortez

As reported by dailycaller.comMedia
outlets are largely ignoring or mishandling reports that Democratic New
York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her chief of staff were
controlling a PAC at the same time the PAC was working to get her
elected.

The Daily Caller News Foundation reported Monday that Ocasio-Cortez and her chief of staff retained control of the Justice Democrats PAC, which is credited with propelling Ocasio-Cortez to victory, while running to unseat incumbent Democrat Joe Crowley in 2018. Former FEC commissioners told the DCNF that if Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign was operating in affiliation with the PAC, the former bartender could be opened up to “massive reporting violations.”

The report also noted that Ocasio-Cortez and her chief of staff did not disclose their control of Justice Democrats to the FEC. Experts say it could be a felony if Ocasio-Cortez and her chief of staff knowingly and intentionally withheld this information to skirt campaign contribution limits. PACs and campaigns must share a contribution limit when being controlled by the same person or group of persons.

The media has ignored the explosive allegation, instead lumping it in with a complaint to the FEC that Ocasio-Cortez’s chief of staff funneled nearly $1 million from PACs he controlled to private LLCs that he also controlled. That complaint was outlined in a report by the Washington Examiner, but is a separate issue from the allegations laid out by the DCNF.

NBC News fact-checked the FEC complaint by the National Legal and Policy Center, reaching the conclusion that there is “no evidence of wrongdoing.” However, in their fact check, NBC falsely claimed that the DCNF said Ocasio-Cortez and her chief of staff could face jail time over the complaint. A former FEC official who spoke to the DCNF suggested they could face jail time over her legal control over the Justice Democrats PAC, not over the separate allegations made by NLPC.